A large "violent and extremely dangerous" tornado was spotted on the southwest
side of Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, moving northeast at about 30 miles per hour,
the National Weather Service said.
The service did not mince
words.
"You could be killed if not
underground or in a tornado shelter. Complete destruction of neighborhoods,
businesses and vehicles will occur. Flying debris will be deadly to people and
animals," it said in an advisory.
A tornado warning was in effect
for parts of south-central Kansas, including southern Sedgwick County, where
Wichita is located.
The twister is part of a possible
severe weather outbreak that could sweep through parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa
and Missouri.
Baseball-sized hail, wind gusts
and tornadoes are threatening to pummel parts of the central Plains and Midwest
on Sunday and Monday.
"Overall, the threat is similar
for the region: strong supercells that will have the capability to produce hail
baseball-size or larger, strong wind gusts and tornadoes," CNN meteorologist
Melissa Le Fevre said earlier Sunday. "It will ultimately
depends on how warm the region gets today."
According to the
weather service, supercells are a special type of thunderstorm that can last
for many hours. "They are responsible for nearly all of the significant
tornadoes produced in the U.S. and for most of the hailstones larger than golf
ball size," the weather service says. "Supercells are also known to produce
extreme winds and flash flooding."
Warmer temperatures are an
important factor, Le Fevre said.
"Warmer temperatures allow for
the air in the atmosphere to mix, which causes it to be unstable," she said.
"Sunny days are essentially more unstable, which allows thunderstorms to develop
and become strong to severe."
Beyond the Midwest, other areas
were already seeing severe weather on Sunday. In Atlanta, serious flooding was
reported amid storms producing heavy rainfall.
Here's a look at Le Fevre's
forecast for several states:
Kansas
Sunday: With Kansas temperatures
5 to 10 degrees above average for this time of year, supercells could develop.
The storms could bring destructive hail and possible tornadoes for the
afternoon, transitioning to damaging winds and heavy rain through the evening.
Baseball-sized hail cannot be ruled out.
Monday: The surface front may
stall on Monday, leading to showers and thunderstorms through the day. Localized
heavy rainfall may lead to the need for flood watches and warnings.
Oklahoma
Sunday: Storms were expected to
develop after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET). Again, the threat of discrete supercells
capable of producing large hail and tornadoes is present.
Monday: There is a similar
threat for strong storms in the late afternoon. With the heavy rain that will
occur through the weekend, flooding could become a problem Monday night.
Iowa
Sunday: The greatest potential
for severe weather will be in the late afternoon and into the early evening.
Large hail could be the greatest threat. According to the National Weather
Service office in Des Moines, the southern and western parts of the state could
see the greatest chance for tornadoes. Overall, the main threat appears to be
hail and wind. Rain is expected to decrease overnight.
Monday: Showers and storms are
once again expected to develop on Monday afternoon. Large hail is possible and
though the tornado threat looks low, it cannot be ruled out.
Missouri
Sunday: Strong supercells and
squall lines are forecast to develop in the late afternoon and continue into the
early evening. The discrete cells will develop first before transitioning into
squall lines or lines of storms. As before, the threats include very large hail
and damaging winds along with the potential for tornadoes. Some of these could
be strong. In St. Louis, the potential for severe thunderstorms will be present
through the afternoon on Sunday. Large hail is expected to be the primary
threat. Heading into the evening hours, damaging wind should pose the greatest
threat.
Monday: Flooding is expected to
become an issue after localized heavy rainfall. The weather pattern will not
change drastically from Sunday to Monday, which is why we are still seeing a
potential for severe weather for the start to the week. Again, afternoon storms
could produce large hail, damaging wind gusts and possible tornadoes. In St.
Louis, storms will reorganize during the afternoon and evening hours. Threats
include large hail, damaging winds and the possibility of tornadoes. LOOD Naija
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